月事值得忌諱嗎？
「……係囉，嗰日用tampon呢，幾鬼難拉返出嚟呀！你都試過哩？下次唔係多嗰日呢，真係咪鬼用呀……」
校服少女在火車上用手機和朋友說著月事經驗，結果惹來全車側目。
同樣的場景、同樣的在講電話、同樣的聲浪，要是談的話題是股票、是公司事務，甚至是以粗言污穢語，得到的對待肯定不會是一個難以讓人理解的注目禮。
沒錯，生於香港、長於香港的女性，大慨很少會認同月事是可以在公眾場合討論的事。
高小的時候要是在男女校，總有一次男同學和女同學分開上課的神秘經歷：大家一同回歸課室的時候，女同學每人手中各拿一袋包裝精緻，卻沒有男生份兒的小禮物。這就是香港學界中普遍的第一課性教育，由衛生用品公司主導的月事講座，聽完之後女生會收到平生第一份衛生棉試用裝。
真的到了月事來潮，我們的習慣是把用品放進一個可愛的小布袋，在沒有人看見的時候俏俏拿進洗手間。上體育課時有女同學會裝身體不舒服而坐在一旁。 家裡要是有神檯的，媽媽很早會告知：「啲嘢嚟的話，就唔好掂神檯喇，唔乾淨架。」還有……
簡單而言，我們在香港長大的女生從小到大所學所知，由社會輸送給我們的信息只有一個： 月事是不潔的，所以不應公開談論，所以我們要為這位每個月都要來一次的紅潮增添很多別名：大姨媽、親戚到、M、M come、啲嘢嚟、嗰幾日唔舒服、週期不適、女人嘢……琳瑯滿目，欠的就只欠一個堂堂正正的說法。
連這個自然的生理現像都不能談，其他應該認識的重要性知識也就更不用多想了。關於性知道得越少，對於自身的保護意識也就越薄弱，久而久之，一些女生對於怎樣保護自己也不知道，香港有不知多少女孩，就是長大了以後才知道自己原來在小時候曾經遭非禮，不得不令人慨嘆。
月事一點也不髒。如果大家能不把「她」當作不潔的事情來看，樂意在適當的場合上討論，我們知道的自然會更多，對自己的身體認識增多，自然更能認識自己、尊重自己，繼而讓別人也能更尊重我們，女性的權利才可更名正言順而不是偷偷摸摸大呼口號才能爭點回來。
延伸閱讀：《月經的管理》 ，看罷才知道內地部份廠商竟對於月事這香與生俱來的現象有這此一著。
02/10/07 at 4:22 am
Aulina, 這倒是千真萬確! 就算不是以代名詞對之，任何時候我們也是習慣了「細細聲」。其實除了男的以外，人人也有，亦即是地球上過半數的人都有，怕什麼? 月經有害乎?
02/13/07 at 9:08 am
Emmm… I think this is normal chinese culture weak point. I didn’t see this problem happened during my time in England. Girl are free to chit chat about “period” in the lecturer hall.
02/13/07 at 3:21 pm
Yes Alan and this is why this feminist blog grounds on the culture of Hong Kong more than anything. However, I think the same thing exist when gender is made salient in the context no matter what culture it is. By making salient, I’m talking about 1 woman to 9 men perhaps. Interestingly, men are less refrained from talking about their dicks in front of women don’t you think so?
02/13/07 at 4:26 pm
Maybe you’re right. But I think it is because most of the chinese female always avoid to talk/discuss about this things with others,even with other female group, isn’t it?
When something everybody talk about all the time, it will be a normal practice, then will be not weird to mention about, right?
02/13/07 at 5:24 pm
Getting interesting in here when it’s about NORM =)
Of course, unspoken norms in our culture is a result of an interactive process by which people one the one hand “establish” it and live with it on the other. I reckon that it’s a big weakness in our culture that girls are silent when it comes to sensitive topics like menstruation.
I think people are getting more and more open-minded now. Ask any girls who come from girls’ schools (me is), they must have had experience of sharing the pain of menstruation with peers, borrowing pads/painkillers, etc. etc. You name it. May be some of them even talk openly about this in their families (and that’s me). So I would say, it’s not like HK girls never talk about it at all.
However, when it comes to the time like being in front of people — just like the beginning of this article; it’s a different thing. Obvious or obnoxious, some girls are made to understand that speaking of this topic in front of others, in the public, is not very well-mannered because it would cause irritation in others. I would suspect that if I am to talk about this like in the MTR with friends (and I did back then), is always to cause attention, and the attention is perhaps also signaling that some people find it irritable.
Speaking of “talking” and “normal”, it’s interesting and amazing that how many different variations of foul languages in descriptive of male genitals compare to the female one. Count it. I’m not saying that ALL people swear and take foul languages seriously. But the fact that we’ve been normalizing male genitals in our language without realizing it. And sadly though, for female genitals — I would say pretty limited and when it comes out it appears as bad, stinky things rather than a boasting one’s masculinity through the foul itself.
Just citing it as an example, no bad feelings. But I think it sorts of correspond to the extended reading article about “Period Management”. Dunno if you’ve read it though but worth doing it if you’re interesting in getting a feeling of being women, manipulated even your bio because it causes trouble.
And thank you for checking out this blog. If you are interested in voicing for HK females, you are welcome to join us!
02/13/07 at 6:33 pm
Wow… Kinda long comment from you. No hard feeling, ok? I’m a boys’ school student, my friend and I always talk on any topic anytime. Yes, maybe because we’re “boy” and people just don’t bother about us.
Maybe the term of “三从四德” always constraint the group of female from act/speech.
I think no matter HK, China, Malaysia or other Asian country women need to see all things as “光明正大”.
02/14/07 at 12:25 am
嗯，有回應，選題對了，可喜。
對於能不能與可不可在公開場合談月事，很大程度要看看家裡怎麼教、朋友怎麼做和旁人怎麼看。三個因素都能決定「是」和「非」的選擇。
香港這邊，家裡直接教的情況已較我這代好。起碼教材充足，就算不到家庭計劃指導會／性教育中心，一般書局現在能買到的書本已越來越多，對於慣性內歛的廣大華人而言算是幫上了一大把的忙。
朋友，同性間討論其是問題是不大的，「姊妹」的作用從來就是互訴心情，而「經情」，肯定是重要的一種心情了。男女之間的話，要看男和女是朋友還是什麼關係了。我好像沒有認識過敢與我討論這個的男生？（談避孕而不是男友／丈夫的倒也還可以）
旁人。香港地方小，旁人就在你身邊，所以他們的看法也就是近距離得不可以再近，加上人云亦云是這夥東方之珠的普遍現像，想不理也不行。
02/14/07 at 9:20 am
我想现在的中国女人已经拥有自己的想法，不应该让古老的教育困着。。。
去年十二月，我到中国的惠州公干，那儿虽然不是什么大城市，但我能感受到他们那儿的女性也开始的自我提升了。。。
07/25/07 at 12:08 am
真的是事实哦,在国内的时候健康教育课都超神秘的, 总会跳过几页不说, 想起来很好笑哦. 现在在英国也就没什么拉, 都可以说拉, 就算是男升也会很理解你拉, 还会关心下你. 如果在国内的男剩就会笑你拉,觉的不应该说拉,什么什么的,超讨厌!
07/25/07 at 6:28 am
That’s why lo…
I think Chinese’s thinking is a bit differ from euro…
That’s why we’re special!
07/25/07 at 8:52 am
謝謝各位留言哦。今早看過的一篇文章，也是關於月事的，挺有趣。
07/25/07 at 4:55 pm
please share